Fr Roberto Pasolini, 54, has the ear of the Pope – literally. He was appointed Preacher to the Papal Household by Pope Francis, and after Leo was elected last year he confirmed he’d keep Fr Roberto in the role. A Capuchin Friar, Fr Roberto, who runs a website offering Gospel commentaries, is also an expert on AI. He spoke to Bible Alive about his life and his work.
Bible Alive: Thanks so much for taking time to speak to us, Fr Roberto. You were appointed Papal Preacher in November 2024 – did it come as a surprise?
Fr Roberto: It did and it didn’t. I had a call from my provincial, and he asked me if I’d be one of the names he was putting forward for the job. But I was already aware that the Preacher of the Papal Household is selected, according to a 300-year-old tradition, from members of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. I joined the order in 1997, and my work as a preacher and spiritual writer has given me a bit of a profile within the church and in Italy. So I had sensed mine might be one of the names sent to the Pope – but it was still a big surprise when I was chosen.
Bible Alive: What does the job entail?
Fr Roberto: It involves preaching weekly to the Pope, many cardinals and high-ranking Vatican officials, on Fridays during Lent and Advent. The sermons take place in the Pope Paul VI audience hall in the Vatican, and members of the public are also invited to be there. I also deliver the homily in place of the Pope on Good Friday in St Peter’s Basilica.
Bible Alive: Wow, that’s a large and very distinguished audience. How does it feel to preach in that setting?
Fr Roberto: Well, the first time I preached for Pope Francis, I remember feeling very self-conscious and humbled. But I’ve realised since then that when God asks you to do something, he also gives you the grace to do it. I’ve started to feel more at ease with it, and I use the rest of the year to think deeply about what I’ll be preaching about. I’ve realised I enjoy this work very much, and I find it deeply affecting. Last Advent, preaching before the new Pope Leo for the first time, was very emotional – but the Spirit always come to my aid and gives me strength.
Bible Alive: You’ve known two popes since you were appointed – what do you make of them?
Fr Roberto: I treasure my memory of my first meeting with Pope Francis, and I feel a deep bond with him because he appointed me to the job. But sadly, he became ill soon after that, so I didn’t get to know him as well as I might have done, although I was privileged to accompany him in the final days of his life as I was preaching the Spiritual Exercises on the theme of Eternal Life, and I was told he listened to them from the hospital. With Pope Leo we’re just getting to know one another, but I already sense a strong harmony. Like me has a background in mathematics, and I sense a temperament I think is close to my own. He strikes me as a humble, attentive listener, and a profound and well- balanced character.
Bible Alive: You were born and raised in Milan – were you from a Catholic family, and were you always religious?
Fr Roberto: I was raised a Catholic, but around the age of 16 I drifted away from the faith, went to university, met a girl, and went through many experiences – some beautiful, others painful. And then one day when I was in my early twenties I was on the subway in Milan and I was reading a newspaper which that day came with a free copy of St Matthew’s Gospel. I started reading it, and when I got to the Beatitudes I began to cry: Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, because they will become the children of God. I realised in that moment that I was the poor in spirit: I had plenty of material things, but something was missing in my heart. Reading the text made me realise that the Kingdom of God was a gift and it was being given to me: knowing it was going to change my life. I became a friar three years later.
Bible Alive: As well as your role as Papal Preacher you run a website, www.nellaparola.it, with Bible commentaries. What is it that draws you into the Gospels so much?
Fr Roberto: The Gospels are everything to me: they’re the most complete and perfect interpretation of reality, because they were given by God who became human. It’s the ultimate reading of all things – of every story and of the life of the world, and it’s the perspective from which I view everything. The Gospels offer the joy of knowing we are loved children forever – a joy that nothing and no one can take away from our hearts.
Bible Alive: You must have preached many hundreds of sermons: is there one that stands out in your memory?
Fr Roberto: The one that stands out for me was delivered at my father’s funeral. He and I were very close, and the last three months of illness he endured before his death had prepared our hearts to face death and the hope of eternal life. During the funeral homily there was an atmosphere of joy – almost of celebration. I even managed to make my mother smile with a few anecdotes and light-hearted remarks about my father. I believe a sermon truly succeeds – according to the Spirit, not merely human criteria – when it fosters conversion of the heart. The most powerful sermons are not necessarily those that please everyone, but those in which hearts open themselves to grace – sometimes painfully.
Bible Alive: What would your advice be to anyone giving a sermon?
Fr Roberto: I’d say prepare well, grounding yourself in Scripture and in the faith of the Church. Then, let the words you intend to speak pass through your own heart first, so you become the first listener. Finally, you should always stand humbly before others, aware of your own weakness and as a forgiven sinner. That’s when grace can truly circulate, when communication is sincere and comes from the heart. That’s when what you have to say will reach the hearts of others.
Bible Alive: How have your experiences as a Capuchin affected you?
Fr Roberto: I was deeply fascinated by the writings of St Francis, and deeply struck by the idea that a man could embrace such a simple, open way of life, entirely shaped by the Gospel. In my early years as a friar I had many formative experiences: I worked with the poor, with young people, and for three years I served in prison ministry. Working with prisoners led me to understand that prison is in many ways a symbolic place: it reminds us that we are all ‘prisoners’ until we learn to do good and reject evil – that is, until we choose to live as children of God. For Lent 2026, I will be speaking to Pope Leo about conversion, starting from the Christian experience of Saint Francis. Since he has proclaimed a new Franciscan Jubilee marking the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis’s death, I thought it fitting to offer reflections and paths of conversion drawn from key episodes and core elements of Franciscan spirituality.
Bible Alive: Aside from your religious ministry you’re an expert in AI. Does its development worry you?
Fr Roberto: I was one of the pioneers into studies of AI in Italy in the 1990s, when very few people were talking about it. From the start, there were two camps: people who believed in ‘strong AI’ thought it would lead to replication of the human being, while the second group saw AI as a way to better understand how the human brain works. I was, and remain, in this second group. However, I believe we have some challenging decades ahead as we struggle to put it into its right place. There will be job losses, and I fear young people may be unfairly impacted. Overall, though, I believe AI is a powerful tool that will enable many positive developments, pushing human history and evolution forward in the years ahead. ■
